Golf

Father’s Day is June 21, so I have explored great gifts for dad and some fun things to do in our area.

I went to PGA Superstore in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., last week and spoke with John Wagner, the general manager. A jovial, articulate man, we had a blast looking at the latest in clothing lines, then we moved on to gadgets and gizmos for the golfing dad.

We live in a diverse area as far as golf is concerned. Some of our residents have played golf their whole lives; some have never touched a club. Others played years ago, then gave up the game for their careers and family and now want to start again.

Brunswick County has a temperate climate and more than a 100 golf courses within an easy drive. Why not learn to play the sport? If you played years ago, why not take it up again?

As the mother of four daughters and now the grandmother of 10 (seven boys and three girls), I love Mother’s Day.

My husband always remembers the date and makes me feel truly special for being his wife and the mother of his children

But you don’t have to physically be a mom to be honored as one. Plenty of aunts and grandmothers, sisters and neighbors have been surrogate moms by listening, counseling and just being there for a kid who needs an adult friend.

Most people think the golf course superintendent is a guy who hangs out at the course and cuts grass. Maybe he rakes a few traps and fertilizes once in a while. It’s an easy, cushy job that any dude could do.

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

The golf course superintendent is a highly trained, educated professional who usually has a college degree in agriculture or turf management. Many superintendents have advanced degrees.

A few weeks ago, my friend and neighbor, Stan Rogoff, spoke to me about the Brunswick County Homeless Coalition and its first golf tournament May 2 at Brierwood. Rogoff is on the board of directors and was hoping I would do a column about it.

The problem was this: Brunswick County is filled with golf courses and fundraising events. Sometimes there are two or three charity golf tournaments in one weekend.

High schools from all over the United States came to Brunswick County for the Palmetto High School Championships on April 2-4. They played their qualifying round at the Pearl Golf Links on Thursday, April 2, then moved to Ocean Ridge Plantation, where they played Lion’s Paw and Panther’”s Run in the championship finals.

The biggest, best charity event of the year is coming. The Future Generations Tournament benefiting The First Tee of Brunswick County is May 30 at St. James Plantation.

This is the 10th anniversary of The First Tee of Brunswick County and, baby, we’ve come a long, long way. From a handful of kids that met at Brierwood and The Lakes in 2005, our chapter now reaches 7,000 young participants each year.

The 2015 Tournament of Champions take place Nov. 14-15 at Lockwood Folly Country Club in Supply.

It will be a great venue. This course, designed by Willard Byrd, was built in 1988 through an old hunting preserve. There are beautiful vistas of the Lockwood Folly River and surrounding salt marshes. Many holes run though ancient hardwoods and old pines near ponds and riverbeds. Basically, it’s a challenging course with a lot of beautiful vistas.